Imposter!
by The Forest Dog
Summary: Dipper was frozen. Worse, the shapeshifter has taken over his life, and Dipper's friends have yet to notice. Even when "Dipper" starts terrorizing the town, they still think it's the actual Dipper doing it. If they can't stop the imposter, who will? (Please watch all episodes in the show before reading.)
1. Prologue

**Hmmm... I wonder if it's smart to write three fanfictions at once...**

**Oh, wait, I just did.**

**This story takes place in the summer _after _Weirdmageddon.**

**I do not own _Gravity Falls_.**

_Prologue_

**Location: Secret bunker under the metal tree thing-y**

Dipper ran his hand down the cold metal of the chamber. The machine was able to put things in cryogenic stasis. He remembered its previous inhabitant, the shapeshifter.

It wasn't there anymore. Nothing was there.

_It could already be in town..._

He had originally planned on examining the machinery in the bunker (because this is Dipper we're talking about here), but now that he knew that the dreaded creature had escaped, that was the _last _thing on his mind.

All he knew was that the shapeshifter was out, and it would not hesitate to torment the citizens of Gravity Falls if it escaped.

_And what would he do if he found my friends...? _

He shook his head. He needed to stop worrying so much and do something.

Dipper eyed the inside of the chamber warily. How had the shapeshifter escaped from the chamber? Maybe the part of the machine that froze something broke, allowing the shapeshifter to leave?

He assumed he was alone, so he stepped inside to study the inside of the chamber, to check if anything was broken.

It was a bad move on his part. As soon as he was inside, he heard a soft whir, and he whipped around. His blood ran cold when he realized his mistake. The glass from the chamber had lowered, locking Dipper in the chamber. He raised his fists to bang on it, and yelled for help, though he knew that his efforts were futile.

He knew what came next.

A chill swept over him as the cold mist wreathed around him. He shivered as his vision grew foggy. His limbs became stiff as he tried once more to bang on the glass.

The cold mist continued to come, circling him. He could hear his own panicked breathing as he stood, helpless.

Before he knew it, he was frozen in ice. He could feel his consciousnesses slip away, and the last thought that entered his mind before he surrenders to the frost was this:

_How could I have been so stupid..._

**Sorry for the _very _short chapter. I'll try to update soon.**


	2. Drifting

***Nervous laughing***

**Sorry the prologue was so short... I didn't know what else to include in it. This chapter will be longer, though.**

**And I still don't own _Gravity Falls_. (I wish!)**

**Two more things before this starts: I will be referring to the shapeshifter as either Dipper or the shapeshifter, excluding the prologue because that was the real Dipper. From now on, until I say otherwise, if I say Dipper in the story, I am referring to the shapeshifter.**

**Second, the character that the chapter will be following will be in italic and bold, and saying P.o.V. after it. Okay?**

**Now let's get started!**

_Drifting Away_

**_Mabel's P.o.V._**

**Location: Living room (You know which house)**

Mabel sat on the floor in front of the television with Waddles curled up in her lap. She was gently stroking the pig while still paying attention to the cartoon on the T.V.

_"It appears we have another mystery to solve, Duck-Tective!"_

Mabel was pulled back into reality when she heard the door to the outside open with a soft creak. She glanced in that direction to see Dipper walk in with the brim of his hat partially concealing his face.

He didn't stop to say hello to her. He instantly walked upstairs to their shared bedroom without a word.

Mabel frowned sadly. Over the past few days, it had begun to feel like they were drifting apart. Dipper stopped hanging out with her.

She remembered the day when he had stopped wanting to do things with her. He had gone out, saying that he wouldn't be gone for too long. At that time, he still seemed like himself, and he was still keen on spending time with his twin.

But then he came back, and it was like he changed. He had a slight smirk on his face, and his eyes were narrowed in a way so that it looked like he was pleased about something. After that was when they had started to do things alone.

Mabel didn't know why. She didn't see a reason why Dipper had ceased wanting to do things with her. She didn't like it, either. She felt lonely, like there was nobody to turn to.

Sure, she had her Grunkles (who had returned for the summer to spend time with the younger twins; they planned on traveling again when summer was over), but her great-uncles didn't understand her the way Dipper did. And now Dipper didn't seem to want anything to do with her.

Dipper had started spending less time at the shack, too. Normally he'd head out in the morning, and come back in the afternoon before heading upstairs for the rest of the day.

Mabel sighed and lifted her pet pig to her face. Her pet's coal-black eyes glimmered slightly as he gazed into her own.

"Waddles, do you have any idea why Dipping-Sauce doesn't want to spend time with me anymore?"

Waddles let out a small oink as a response. A small smile found its way onto Mabel's face. She set her pig down and stood up, brushing off her signature shooting-star sweater.

She looked around for the remote. Before she could find it, however, the television caught her attention again.

_"We interrupt this broadcast for breaking news. A fire has started near Greasy's Diner. The building is currently being torn to the ground. The fire seems to have been man-made. The culprit is still unknown."_

Mabel blinked in astonishment. Somebody had lit the diner in fire? She raised her head to the roof.

"Hey, Dipper! Somebody lit the diner in fire!"

She thought she heard a small laugh, but she could have been imagining it... a voice answered.

"Wow, bad luck, I guess."

Mabel narrowed her eyes. People could have died, and all Dipper says is "bad luck"?

"Thought you'd care a bit more," she scoffed, though not loud enough for her twin to hear. She found the remote and turned the television off.

She glanced down at Waddles, who was sitting with his nose twitching. He tilted his head. "I know, Waddles... maybe Dipper's just been reading at night again. Might just be tired..." she trailed off. She knew she was just making an excuse for her brother.

Mabel headed towards the kitchen. She really needed some Mabel-Juice.

She walked into the kitchen and walked towards the fridge. She grasped the handle and tugged to reveal its contents.She scanned the inside until she saw a pitcher full of reddish-pink liquid with plastic dinosaurs in it.

She grabbed the pitcher and set it down on the table. Then she grabbed a cup from one of the cupboards, and lifted the pitcher up to the glass. She watched as it flowed into the cup. Then she set the pitcher down and lifted the the cup to her mouth.

There was a _lot _of sugar. If anyone else tried some of the juice, they'd probably go crazy. The sugar was overwhelming, except to her.

She finished chugging the "liquid sugar" and set it down in the table again. "Delicious! I should _sell _this!"

She heard a yell from her Grunkle Stan from somewhere in the shack: "No you shouldn't! It's an insult to coffee!"

Mabel rolled her eyes. Mabel-Juice was _better _than coffee, in her eyes. But then, in her eyes, everything should be pink and covered in shiny glitter.

So either one could be right, honestly.

**A few hours later**

**Location: Mabel and Dipper's bedroom**

Mabel sat on the edge of her bed, looking at the ceiling thoughtfully. Dipper was currently out of the shack, doing something that "wasn't really important", as he said.

Mabel didn't buy it, but she didn't argue with him or stop him from leaving.

She had an idea. When Dipper came back, she'd ask if he wanted to do some supernatural-mystery-stuff tomorrow. He couldn't say no, because she knew Dipper was, well, _Dipper_!

**Mabel has no idea... Oops, I shouldn't be talking in the middle of the story... Uhh... just ignore me.**

_Dipper just can't resist supernatural stuff... if I ask him to do some of that with me, maybe I can spend time with him again!_

She waited a few more minutes until she heard footsteps and the creaking of the floorboards. They were too quiet to be Stan or Ford's, and everyone else was away.

_That must be Dipper!_

Suddenly the door opened with a squeak of its hinges. Sure enough, it was Dipper. His face revealed himself to be pretty proud of himself. He was smirking slightly, and his eyes had that sort of glow about them. It was the same face he had when he had returned after his little trip a few days back...

Dipper cast a glance in Mabel's direction and muttered a quick "hi". That was always his default whenever he saw anyone these past few days, but she had gotten used to it.

"So, uh, Dipper," she began as her twin peered under his bed as if looking for something, "I was wondering if... if you wanted to go do some crazy mystery stuff tomorrow, maybe...?"

Dipper didn't reply at first. Silence followed, and she feared he was going to say no.

"Where?" he asked coolly and in an unenthusiastic tone as he pulled out a book form under the bed and began to read.

She paused to think. She hadn't really thought about where they'd go... perhaps somewhere they'd already been?

"How about that secret bunker under that metal tree thingamajig? I bet we could find some other interesting stuff down there."

Dipper stiffened. She thought she saw panic flash in his eyes, but it was so quick, she couldn't be sure.

"Uh, a-are you sure there's n-not any other p-place you'd r-rather g-go?" he stammered. She figured it must have been fear that was in his eyes earlier.

Mabel was left puzzled, though. Why didn't he want to go?

_He fought against a literal demon, took down a giant robot, fought in a time-coliseum thing, and he's afraid of a dusty 'ol lab?_

"It's fine if you don't want to, I jus-"

Dipper interrupted her. "No, no, I'll go, just... how about the day _after _tomorrow, alright?"

Mabel almost cried out in joy. Finally, her twin wanted to do something with her! She calmed herself down and answered in the most casual voice she could muster (which wasn't very casual at all), and spoke.

"Yeah, sounds great."

Maybe things could go back to the way they were, now.

**Wow, this chapter is longer than I thought it would be... eh, whatever. **

**By the way, thanks to Whinkx for the review. I wasn't expecting anyone to even read this. (Because I'm an introvert who has no self-confidence. You'd probably expect that from somebody who writes fanfictions in their free time.)**

**Anyways, I hope you'll stick around for the next chapter. Until then, stop binge-reading and go have social interactions! I'm being a hypocrite right now, but whatever.**

**Bye, I guess.**


	3. Deal

**Hello to you people who'd rather read about _Gravity Falls_ (which I don't own) than go out and play a role in society!**

**My job is to provide fanfiction, the likes of which you have likely never seen! Wait, I'm talking too much like Stan...**

**Just read, I guess.**

_Just Making a Deal_

**_"Dipper", or the shapeshifter's P.o.V._**

**Location: Mabel and Dipper's bedroom**

The shapeshifter hesitantly opened an eye. Mabel was asleep. He smiled slightly to himself and slowly pulled himself out of the bed.

He could hear crickets sounding outside. Their chirps were in harmony with the soft hoots of owls, as the shapeshifter slowly twisted the knob leading out of the room.

He pulled the door open, taking great care to make sure that it didn't disturb Mabel. He didn't want her asking what he was doing.

He closed the door gently behind him as he crept through the halls. He thought the squeaks of the floorboards would give him away at any moment, but luck was on his side.

He made it out of the shack with no resistance. Cool night air greeted him. He walked a short distance into the woods until he was out of view of the Mystery Shack. Then he morphed into a brown-feathered kite (the bird, not the child plaything) and took off.

He could see the whole town. He could even see the ashes of the diner. He smiled to himself. It had been fun, lighting that on fire. Now he was going to go to the library and burn that, too.

He landed in a streetlight a little bit away from the building. He made sure that nobody was around, before taking on the form of Dipper again. He removed some matches from his pocket and struck them. He tossed a couple at the building and watched as the fire began to grow.

He could already hear the fire-department. He morphed into the kite again and flew off, back to the Mystery Shack.

**A few hours later**

**Location: The secret bunker under the metal tree thing-y**

The shapeshifter strolled up to the chamber in which the real Dipper stood frozen. His face was stuck in an expression on panic, fear, anger, and worry all in one.

The shapeshifter smiled to himself. Still in the form of Dipper, he pressed a silver button on the side of the chamber to unfreeze the real Dipper. (Yes, I know that there's no button in the show, but plot convenience, okay?)

Slowly, the frost in the chamber melted, though not opening the glass. The ice melted off the real Dipper, and he regained consciousness.

**_The real Dipper's P.o.V._**

**Location: Same place as earlier, what, did you think Dipper magically teleported out of the chamber? I know this is _Gravity Falls_, but come on!**

Dipper blinked open his eyes as he inhaled a breath of air. It had felt like he couldn't breathe at all.

He realized that there was somebody standing just outside of the chamber. He narrowed his eyes to try to see through the frost that was covering the glass. He recoiled as he realized who it was. It wasn't just his reflection in the glass.

"You..." he said through clenched teeth. It was the shapeshifter, using his own body to tease him.

The shapeshifter smiled at him with mock innocence that infuriated him. "Oh, I'm _sorry _if I accidentally woke you..."

He was using Dipper's voice, which frustrated him even more.

"Let me _out_..." Dipper growled. He rattled the glass angrily. The shapeshifter grinned.

"That's not very nice... no 'hello'?"

"Why would I say hello to _you_? You're the one who _froze me_!"

The shapeshifter's gaze hardened. "And _you _did the same to _me_!"

"Great, so we're even now, just let me _out_!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was stuck there for about a year... I don't believe that we're even..."

Dipper sighed in both annoyance and rage. "Then what do you _want _from me anyways? If I'm not frozen now, you must want something."

The shapeshifter blinked with a smirk. "It's not that I want something... It's that if you don't do what I want, something worse will happen than you being frozen."

"What could you _possibly _do to me that's worse than this?"

The shapeshifter broke into a loud and sinister laugh. "It's not a matter of what I could do to _you_... But what I could do to your _sister_."

Dipper's eyes widened. Then they narrowed threateningly. "You wouldn't..."

"Oh, yes, I would. Though, I would reconsider, if you just hear me out..."

"What do you want..." Dipper seethed, his eyes sparkling with resentment.

The shapeshifter sighed happily. "Now, I just _knew _you'd cooperate..."

His eyes were callous as he continued. "Mabel asked me if I wanted to come down here today. Of course, that would mean she would see you, and your frozen position was too different from mine... She would know it was you..."

Dipper sighed through clenched teeth. He thought he knew where this was going.

"I see you already know what I ask of you... If you want your sister _unharmed_, you will copy the frozen position I was stuck in for a year... or else you won't have a sister anymore, at least, not one that's _alive_..."

"How do I know you won't kill her anyways?" Dipper shot back.

"Are you really going to take that chance?"

Dipper visibly hesitated. He couldn't risk the life of his sister. _It's like making a deal with Bill... you just don't know if his going to keep his end of it._

"Fine... I'll do it... But once I get out, I _will _take you down..."

The shapeshifter smiled. "Believe what you want, just do what I say. And nobody gets hurt..."

He morphed into Dipper's sister for a moment before switching back to Dipper. Reluctantly, Dipper copied the shapeshifter's pose as he felt the chill circle him once more.

**Another chapter, complete. Just so we're all on the same page here, and we all know what's going on, the reason the shapeshifter postponed the "adventure" with Mabel is so that he could tell Dipper to copy his pose, so that Mabel wouldn't know that it was the real Dipper who was frozen.**

**Okay?**

**Well, see you next time!**


	4. Wrong

**[Insert author's note here]**

**I do not own _Gravity Falls_.**

**Also, this isn't important, but I've literally been listening to the _Gravity Falls _theme song while writing this. I ****may have a problem...**

_Something's Wrong_

**_Mabel's P.o.V._**

**Location: Right outside of the bunker under the metal tree thing-y**

Mabel was practically bouncing with excitement as the "tree" lowered into the ground. There were multiple clicking sounds that followed as the steps went into place.

Mabel had decided to invite Wendy and Soos to come along. It didn't feel right going in the bunker without them. She was surprised when Dipper hesitated at the prospect of more people, but she simply brushed it off as nothing more than Dipper being Dipper.

Dipper, who was besides her, had barely said a word the whole time, so it surprised her when he asked a question.

"Who's going first?"

**A few moments later**

The team finished pressing the symbols on the blocks and rushed to escape the room. They all avoided being crushed, and escaped into the next room.

"Hey, you didn't lose your vest this time!" Mabel teased her brother. To her surprise, he didn't respond. He was looking at a clipboard. Mabel recognized it. It read:

**_Experiment #210_**

**_"The Shape Shifter"_**

**_Became too_**

**_DANGEROUS!_**

**_Placed in_**

**_cryogenic stasis_**

Mabel glanced at Dipper's face. It was unreadable. His face was almost blank, except for his eyes. His eyes seemed to hide a deep anger.

"Uh, you okay broseph?"

Dipper looked into her eyes, and the anger immediately vanished, replaced with...

_Annoyance? Is he annoyed with me?_

Dipper shook his head. "I'm fine," he muttered.

Mabel was about to ask if he was sure, but she heard Wendy call.

"Yo! Anyone wanna go see the weird freeze-tube things?"

Soos and Mabel nodded. While Dipper just smirked slightly.

**_Another _few moments later**

"Do you think the shapeshifter will give us more trouble in the future ever?" Mabel asked. They were peering inside the chamber covered in frost.

She swore she heard Dipper laugh a bit, but nobody else heard...

"Nah, I doubt it," Wendy responded.

Mabel shrugged. "I don't know. It seems like it could."

"If it ever does, we'll be ready. We'll know it right when we see it if it tries to trick us again!" Soos exclaimed.

Dipper gave off an unsettling smirk. It was obvious to Mabel that he had tried not to do it, as he quickly hid his smile...

But Mabel saw it.

And she couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

**Two days later**

_"In the past few days, the local diner, the library, and now the museum have been burnt to the ground. The culprit has yet to be found. We highly suggest you be on high alert, as the police still have no clue where the culprit is hiding."_

Mabel turned the T.V. off with a sigh. "It was bad enough when there were monsters around. Now there's an actual person doing bad things too?" she mumbled.

It was in the middle of the night. She had snuck downstairs to listen to the news report that had been repeated several times.

_Who could be doing this? _Mabel thought. She shook her head to herself. She could worry about this in the morning. Right now, she needed to get some sleep.

She walked over to the stairs, headed up, and stepped into her bedroom. To her surprise, Dipper was nowhere to be seen. She thought he might've just needed water or something, but the her eyes drifted to the window.

It was _open_. She could feel the cold breeze on her skin. Mabel walked over and peered out.

Sure enough, Dipper was walking away from the shack. Well, speed-walking.

She couldn't see well in the night; everything was an inky black. But she knew it was Dipper.

She wondered what he was doing out in the night.

"Well, I guess I got a brother to spy on tonight. Sleeping will have to wait."

**Present time**

**_The shapeshifter's P.o.V._**

The shapeshifter knew that Mabel was watching him. He knew that she was trying to be stealthy as she followed him.

But he _knew_ she was there.

He didn't turn around and confront her. He actually needed her to follow him. It was _all _according to plan.

He pretended that he didn't know she was there. He kept walking until he reached the town. He glanced around until he spotted the arcade. He headed towards it.

He made sure that Mabel was watching before taking out some matches from his pocket. Like he had done with the diner, the museum, and the library, he threw many of them at the building and took a few steps back as he watched the building explode into flames.

The fire reached into the air. He could hear the crackling of the flame. It was so loud, that he almost didn't hear the voice behind him.

"D-Dipper... Please tell me t-that's not you? D-did you b-burn all the other buildings?"

Still in Dipper's voice, he turned his head. "I was wondering when you'd figure it out."

And it was _all _according to plan.


	5. Can't

**You're welcome for being evil with a cliffhanger... I'm not sorry.**

**And remember when I said I was writing three stories at the same time?**

**Well...**

**Now it's four...**

**I think I might need to go outside and be a person in a bit, but until then... Another chapter!**

_It Can't Be True_

**_Mabel's P.o.V._**

**Location: By the (burning) arcade**

Mabel stared in horror at the flaming building and her brother who had caused it.

"D-Dipper... Please tell me t-that's not you? D-did you b-burn all the other buildings?"

Slowly, her brother turned his head to look at her. "I was wondering when you'd figure it out."

"I-it can't be true..."

She _wished _that it wasn't him. She _wished _it wasn't _real_. But she couldn't deny that it _was_, no matter how much she _wanted _to.

Dipper turned his head to look at the building that was being destroyed. "It looks great, doesn't it? The fire is just _mesmerizing_..."

Mabel gaped. "How can you _say _that?"

Dipper just laughed; it was an eldritch sound. It chilled Mabel.

"Dipper... what's _wrong _with you!?"

Dipper turned to look at her with a heinous smile. "There's _nothing_ _wrong _with me."

Mabel could hear the sound of fire-trucks' blaring sirens, along with the sirens of police cars. She assumed Dipper heard them, too, but he didn't make a move to escape. He stood still exactly where he was.

The fire was beginning to burn the grass around Mabel and Dipper. She coughed as smoke surrounded her. Dipper turned to walk away to avoid being burnt, but still stuck close to the building.

She turned as a police car pulled up at the scene with fire-trucks close behind. The sheriff and deputy looked at the fire in dismay before they saw the twins.

Mabel didn't want to do it, Dipper _was _her brother, but what other choice did she have? If she didn't do it, he might just strike again.

Reluctantly, Mabel pointed at Dipper. "It was him."

To her surprise, Dipper didn't contradict. He just nodded and shrugged. "What can I say? The sound of buildings burning and the smell of smoke just warms my heart."

"Literally..."

**A few hours later**

**_The shapeshifter's P.o.V._**

The shapeshifter hadn't struggled when the police had apprehended him. He didn't put up a fight. It would be better to make this as fun as possible, which meant causing Dipper's friends and family to question everything they knew about Dipper.

Currently, he was sitting in a jail cell with handcuffs around his wrists and concrete walls surrounding him. He could've escaped if he wanted to, but he _didn't _want to.

He wanted to see the expressions of Dipper's friends when they saw who they assumed was Dipper sitting, locked behind bars. He wanted to see their horrified faces. It would be _priceless_.

This whole plan of his was just to basically torture Dipper's friends, and Dipper himself.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard the sounds of footsteps. A grin spread across his face as Mabel, Ford, Stan, Soos, and Wendy came into view.

All of them wore the same expression: confused, shocked, angry, dismayed, and alarmed.

He burst out into laughter that echoed on the walls. It was even better than he'd imagined!

Mabel was the one who looked the most distraught. He could tell that she'd been crying.

He wasn't the least bit sympathetic. 

**_Mabel's P.o.V._**

Mabel grasped the iron bars of the cell. Dipper was sitting on a small bench that was being held by the walls in the cell. His face was full of delight and happiness that made Mabel want to tear that smile off his face.

All of them were speechless. It was Dipper himself who broke the silence. "You aren't the big-shot criminal now, eh Stanley?"

Mabel's dismay was momentarily replaced with confusion. Since when did Dipper call Grunkle Stan by his actual name without the "Grunkle"?

Stan narrowed his eyes. "Watch your words, kid. I've been arrested more times than there are stars."

Dipper just smirked. "That sounds like a challenge. Want me to burn _this _down too?"

"What's wrong with you, Dipper!? You've been acting weird for so long, and then you start burning buildings?" Mabel cried. Everyone (excluding Dipper) glanced at her in confusion. 

"What do you mean he was acting weird?"

"I mean that the last few days, he wanted nothing to do with me! He panicked when I wanted to go on an adventure with him, he hated the idea of Wendy and Soos joining in on said adventure, and he was laughing and smiling when he saw the buildings being burnt!"

Dipper gave a few slow claps, even with the handcuffs. "Well, atleast _one _of you pays attention..."

Mabel gaped at him. "What do you mean?"

Dipper didn't answer for a few moments. He just laughed softly and darkly. "If I told you, it wouldn't be _fun _anymore..."

"So this is all a _game _to you?" Mabel exclaimed. Dipper shrugged.

"More or less."

Then Dipper stood up and walked over to the bars. He tilted his head almost mockingly. "And _what _can you do about it?"


	6. Thoughts

**To those of you who think I should slow down...**

**_I can't stop! I am a writing machine! I'm writing even more stories than are on my profile, I just don't post them! And I have more stories that are yet to be uploaded, yet to be written!_**

**So... yeah.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy, and if not...**

**Sorry...?**

_The Thoughts and the Theories_

**_Ford's P.o.V._**

**Location: Still the prison. And seriously, Whinkx, _how _do you basically guess everything that's going to happen next? Are you magic or something!?!?!?**

"And _what _can you do about it?" Dipper sneered.

The entirety of them were silent for a while, before Stanley let out a low growl. "Kid, if you weren't family, I'd break every bone in that body of yours, just wait until I-"

"Mister Pines, calm down," Soos murmured. Dipper cackled.

"Oh no, let him finish. I want to hear these sorry excuses for threats," he smirked. "After all, such an old man couldn't _possibly _follow through." Stanley didn't respond, other than clenching his fists in fury.

"Woah, calm _down _dude, what's gotten into you?" Wendy asked in a quiet voice, her question directed at Dipper.

So far, Ford was the only one who hadn't said a word. He just couldn't figure out what to say. There were a _thousand _thoughts swirling in his mind, some which repeated over and over again:

_What is wrong with this kid?_

_Did one of us do something _wrong_? Is that why he's doing this?_

_Did... Did _I_ do something wrong?_

He was oblivious to the argument that had broken out between Stan and Dipper. All he could hear was his own thoughts, until...

"Hmmm... So nobody likes my handiwork?" Dipper sighed in mock disappointment. "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to do better _next time_!"

Dipper broke out into laughter. It echoed and bounced eerily off the walls.

Ford couldn't take it anymore. He _just couldn't take it_. He'd put up with Bill's insanity, he'd put up with his own, he'd put up with almost _everyone's_. But this? This was _too much._

_"_Kid," he whispered softly, though his tone was sharp, "why are you doing all of this? What is _any of this _accomplishing? Running around lighting buildings on fire and burning them to the ground _isn't going to solve **anything**. _So what is the _point_?"

He thought he saw a brief flash of anger and fury on Dipper's face. It vanished in an instant, though, and Ford was left to wonder if it was ever there to begin with.

"You know," Dipper drawled, his voice surprisingly flat. "Maybe you're right. Maybe _burning buildings_ isn't enough. Maybe something _much worse _could be done? Maybe... one building in particular?"

A grin spread onto Dipper's face. "Oh, I know! Maybe the old shack! It was never of any _real _use anyways, eh?"

"Why you little..."

Stanley tried to leap for Dipper to punch him through the bars, but Soos restrained him, barely, by wrapping his arms around Stanley until he muttered, "Soos, you're choking me..."

"You know," Dipper went on slowly. "I _could _just burn the whole town down..."

He turned to Mabel with a twisted grin.

"And then I could tell our parents that _poor little Mabel _was lost to the flames... Then... who knows what next? Piedmont might be a rather _flammable_ town," he cackled.

Ford felt sick to the stomach. He didn't know what was wrong with Dipper, but clearly, something was.

_Is it possession? Is it mind-control? Or is it just somebody who's lost his sanity?_

Ford couldn't believe any of the explanations he had come up with. All he knew was that there was something _wrong._

He just couldn't put _any_ of his twelve fingers on it... And before he could think further, a growling voice interrupted his thoughts.

It was so _rough _and _low _that for a moment he thought it was Stanley. He realized with undisguised surprise that it wasn't Stanley who had spoken. It was Dipper.

"You think what I've done _already _is bad? Oh, just _wait_... It might be worse than you can imagine. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!"

The last sentence he spoke was in a sing-song voice, no longer the low one he had spoken in earlier. But the last sentence was probably the most _infuriating_.

"Can't you _see _that this isn't a _game_?" Ford erupted. Then the volume of his voice dropped a bit as he continued. "This isn't a game. What you're doing is _life _and _death _itself. It's not just a dangerous path, but a dark one. And I'm not letting you walk it."

_Because it's a path that only somebody like Bill would walk, _he thought to himself.

Dipper's expression darkened drastically. His mouth bent into an angry frown. Though, surprisingly, amusement glinted in his eyes.

"You six-fingered fool... It's not _your choice_. It's entirely _mine_. And I don't feel like listening to an old man who's brain probably doesn't work right anymore! You're an _idiot_!"

Then he sneered. "You're an _idiot_, Stanford," he repeated.

Ford blinked in astonishment. Never in his life had he heard Dipper speak like this. It just wasn't _like _him. None of this was _like him_.

He felt like he didn't even know him anymore.

**_Mabel's P.o.V._**

**Location: Mabel and Dipper's bedroom**

Mabel cradled her pig in her arms. For the last few hours, she'd been crying, her sobs the only sound in the room. 

It just wasn't _right_. It wasn't _normal_... _He _wasn't right...

And suddenly, realization hit her like a wrecking-ball. She mentally slapped herself for not seeing the possibility... the possibility, that, at this moment, seemed to be the only logical explanation.

Dipper didn't seem right, because it _wasn't Dipper_. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it all seemed to add up. Except...

_It can't be Bill, he's dead... I doubt some unknown monster would impersonate Dipper... What about the shapeshifter? But the shapeshifter is still in that weird freeze-y tube thing-y..._

She realized that the only way to make sure, the only way to get back her brother (if she was correct, that is), was to go back to the bunker.


	7. You

**Whinkx, I am fully convinced that you are a wizard. And this isn't the Harry Potter section of fanfiction, so cut it out. (Or don't, I guess. There's the invisible wizard in _Gravity Falls_, so... why not another?)**

**_Anyways_, I _still _don't own _Gravity Falls_, though I really wish I did...**

**Now, good people of the world (and Bill Cipher, if you're somehow reading this), I present to you, the next chapter.**

_It's Really You_

**_Mabel's P.o.V._**

**Location: Mabel and Dipper's bedroom**

Mabel quickly shoved two water bottles filled with Mabel-Juice into a small backpack. She hastily shoved Dipper's magic flashlight (which Dipper had left conveniently under his bed) into her bag, along with her grappling hook. She thought she'd need _some _kind of weapon, just in case she was wrong, and it _was _the shapeshifter who was frozen.

She threw her backpack over her shoulder after zipping it up. Then she kneeled onto the floor to give Waddles a corncob, before rushing to the door and opening it.

Mabel sped down the stairs at a speed that would make Sonic jealous. (And no, the author doesn't own the rights to that blue hedgehog, either.)

Mabel practically ran into the front door as she barreled out into the outside. She had asked Wendy and Soos to come with her on this mission. Though they were hesitant about confronting what might be the shapeshifter, they eventually agreed.

They were all armed with weapons. Mabel had the magic flashlight, and her signature grappling hook. Wendy had her axe, and Soos had...

Crackers?

"Uhhhh, Soos?" Mabel started. "I told you to bring a weapon. What's with the crackers?"

Soos looked up into the sky with a face that almost looked like it was exhibiting wisdom. However, his next words were not very wise at all.

"Because crackers are the weapons of the future, dudes. Just throw 'em at anything and they'll be so distracted by crackers, they won't see your next move."

Mabel blinked, not knowing what to say, while Wendy just shrugged.

"Okay," Mabel broke the silence. "I wanna figure out what we're going to do when we get down into the bunker."

Soos nodded, while Wendy gave an overdramatic sigh, saying planning is for dorks, before nodding as well.

Mabel rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "We don't know for _sure _that it's actually Dipper in that freeze-y tube-a-ma-jig. So, any ideas for how to figure it out?"

Soos raised his hand. "Soos, this isn't a classroom, you don't need to do that," Mabel told him. Soos shrugged.

"If you say so. But why don't we just ask 'im some questions only Dipper would know the answers to? You know, like in the movies."

Mabel sighed. "It's unoriginal, but seeing as I have no _other _ideas, I guess we'll go with that. But what questions?"

They all thought about this. They couldn't be easy questions, like "what's your favorite [Insert thing here]?" No, they had to be more personal.

"We could ask him how old he is?" Wendy suggested. Mabel shook her head.

"I don't think _he _even knows that. He's off going on adventures, not counting how many years he's been born."

Wendy shrugged. "Fair point."

They thought _again_. This time, it was Soos that broke the silence.

"Hey Mabel, what's Dipper's real name?"

"Why...?"

"Because we can ask that. Even _we _don't know, so it seems like a good question."

Mabel nodded slowly. "Good idea... But we need at least one more question, just in case."

Suddenly an idea came to Mabel. "Let's ask him what symbol he is on the Zodiac. I doubt the shapeshifter even knows it exists, so..."

They all agreed on the two questions. "Okay," Mabel smiled slightly. "Let's go get my brother back."

**_The real Dipper's P.o.V._**

**Location: Secret bunker under the metal tree thing-y**

Dipper could feel the frost slowly melt off him as he regained consciousness. He inhaled instantly, filling his lungs. He was breathing heavily, and he could make out a shape on the other side of the glass.

He assumed it was the shapeshifter, so he began to bang his fists on the glass. "Let. Me. _Out_!" he snarled.

As the frost on the glass melted, his heart lurched. It _wasn't _the shapeshifter. It was Mabel, Wendy, and Soos.

He mentally slapped himself. If he screamed to be let out, that wouldn't be very convincing when he had to tell them that it _was _him.

Dipper calmed himself and took a step back as the glass rose up. He realized that all of them had weapons, except for Soos, who had... crackers?

He decided not to ask. For a moment, he just stood there, taking in gulps of air after being frozen.

Mabel's eyes were clouded with what looked like grief. "Is... is it you?" she whispered.

He hesitated. He realized this _could _just be the shapeshifter, just playing games with him. But then he stared into her eyes. There was no way the shapeshifter could've faked the hope and grief in her eyes.

He gave a slight nod. Wendy leaned towards Mabel to whisper something in her ear. He could only catch a few words. "...ask the questions... need to make sure..."

Mabel raised her grappling hook to Dipper. Dipper realized they might think he was the shapeshifter, and he knew he had to cooperate and not make one wrong move.

"What's your symbol?" Mabel asked. It sounded like saying those few words were an effort for her.

"M-my symbol?" Dipper stuttered. "W-what do you mean?"

"The Zodiac..."

Dipper blinked. "The Pine Tree."

Mabel's eyes brightened a bit, but she still held grappling hook up. She took in a deep breath.

"What's your real name?"

"W-what?"

"Please," Mabel pleaded. "I need to know that it's _you_..."

Dipper hesitated. He didn't like his real name very much. There wasn't anything _odd _about it, he just didn't like it.

Mabel and Wendy tightened their grips on their weapons at his hesitation, and he stiffened. He knew now that this might mean life or death.

"It's Mason..." he muttered. The next second, arms wrapped around his neck as Mabel squeezed him tight in a hug.

"Dipper! I-It's really you!"

Dipper smiled slightly and returned her hug. He realized she was sobbing. He slowly broke away. He glanced at everyone's faces. How had they known he was down here?

"Okay..." Dipper started. "Can someone fill me in?"

**Well, here's this chapter. Now just you wait to see what I have in store for _next _chapter.**

**[Insert evil villain laugh here]**


	8. Long

**I keep checking my closet over and over again to make sure you aren't in it, Whinkx. Wait, you're invisible...**

**Darn.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter, and no, _Gravity Falls_ still isn't mine.**

_It Took You That Long_

**_Dipper's P.o.V._**

**Location: Secret bunker under the metal tree thing-y**

"So let me get this straight, the shapeshifter is running around, looking like me, burning buildings, and then he got himself arrested!?" Dipper exclaimed.

Mabel nodded. "At first, I didn't even know it _was _the shapeshifter."

Dipper sighed. "This is just _great_, what am I going to _do_?"

They all thought for a moment. "Maybe Ford would know what to do?" Soos suggested.

Dipper looked at the ground. "Would he even beileve that it's _me_?"

"Yeah, considering the things the shapeshifter said to hi-" Mabel slapped her hands over her mouth, as if she knew she shouldn't have said that.

"Wait, _what _did he say to Ford?"

Mabel gave a sheepish chuckle. "Uhhhh, nothing...?"

Dipper narrowed his eyes skeptically, but he didn't press on. "Okay, fine, then. Let's go see Ford."

**A few minutes later**

**Location: Some random place in the forest**

Dipper glanced at the sky occasionally. It was still morning. He suddenly stopped walking. He still didn't know how long he had been frozen.

"Uhhh, guys?" he asked hesitantly, not sure if he'd like the answer. "How long... was I down there?"

Mabel rubbed her arm and bit her lower lip. "Ummm... t-two weeks?" she mumbled.

Dipper turned to look at them with his mouth agape. "Two _weeks_? And you couldn't tell it wasn't _me_?"

Mabel looked at the ground in embarrassment. "I know I should've been able to tell, especially after that whole 'Bipper' incident..."

Dipper shook his head. "It doesn't matter right now... we just have to get to the shack..."

He turned to start walking again, and he heard the others start to walk, too. He balled his hands into fists in anger. The shapeshifter might have ruined his life. After all, would the others even believe him?

The shack came into view in a few moments. Dipper let out a sigh of relief. He glanced up at the sky. The sun had lowered a bit from the last time he saw it.

Mabel walked up to stand beside him. She glanced at him. "Don't worry, bro-bro. We'll find a way to fix this mess."

"I hope so..." Dipper sighed. "But what if Stan and Ford don't believe us?"

Mabel's eyes hardened in determination. "We'll _make _them believe us."

Dipper chuckled softly. "I can't argue with that."

They arrived a few feet away from the steps that led up to the door of the Mystery Shack when Mabel rubbed her chin in thought. Then she turned to look at Dipper. "Maybe we should go in to explain this all before you go in. We don't want Ford trying to blast you in the face with a laser. And he has a _lot _of lasers..."

Dipper nodded reluctantly. "Okay, just... Be quick."

The others entered the shack, leaving Dipper to pace around. His arms were crossed and his eyes trained on the ground.

In the next moment, he was sent crashing into the ground as something slammed into him from his side. Pain coursed through his body as he connected with the ground. Hands were holding his arms behind his back as he struggled to get free.

"You thought you could break out of prison, _eh_?"

Dipper's blood ran cold. He recognized that voice. _It's the police..._

**_Mabel's P.o.V._**

**Location: The Living Room (You know which house)**

"It all makes sense... Of _course _that wasn't Dipper... How could I not have _seen _that?" Ford muttered, half to himself.

Mabel shrugged. "At first, I didn't even know it wasn't him. But he's outside right now, we just have to find a way to clear his name."

"But how do we do that, dudes?" Soos asked.

"Well, let me see him first," Ford requested. Stan, who had been standing besides him, nodded.

Mabel nodded and ran to the door with the others trailing behind her. She burst out into the open.

Dipper was standing with his back to them. His hat was tilted downwards.

"Hey Dipper! Come here!"

Dipper didn't respond for a moment. Then he turned to look at them with a crooked grin. And his eyes... their pupils were glowing red.

"Dipper isn't here right now. He's been taken back to jail... Isn't. That. Great?"

Mabel took a terrified step back. "I-it's the shapeshifter!"

The shapeshifter broke into loud laughter. "It _really _took you _that _long to figure it out?"

"Where's Dipper?" Wendy demanded.

The shapeshifter's crimson eyes sparkled. "I already _told you_, the police came while you were standing around in the shack... Oh, I _wish _you saw it... I would've liked to see your faces..."

"You'd better _shut yer yap_, or I'll punch _your face into the ground_!" Stan growled.

The shapeshifter's grin widened. "You _really _want to try that? I _dare _you, just _try _it."

Mabel suddenly bolted towards the shapeshifter. With a wild battle-cry, she lunged at him and pushed him to the ground. They both toppled over with a _thud_.

The shapeshifter laughed. In a moment, he reached out with his hands. Mabel widened her eyes as she realized he had formed claws on his hands and grabbed her by the shoulders. The claws dug through her sweater and she gave a yelp of pain as she could feel the claws puncture her skin.

With a heave, the shapeshifter threw her off of him.

Up until this point, he had been using Dipper's voice. But now, it deepened into the shapeshifter's own. "You can't defeat _me_! Anything you can do, _I _can do. And I can do it _painfully_."

With speed that shouldn't be possible for a human, he sped towards her and pinned her to a tree. With one hand, he held her up to it. With the other, he held up his hand with silver claws that glistened in the sunlight. Mabel struggled against his grip with fearful eyes.

"Time to say _goodbye_."


	9. Lose

**I don't think there are many chapters left to write in this story...**

***Sigh***

**But this chapter is not the last! The next one will also not be the last.**

**I can't guarantee that the third one will not be the last... Sadly... But when I'm done with this story, I'm going to start writing another immediately. I have a few ideas, and it would be nice if you guys let me know which one is your favorite:**

**1\. Instead of Ford being taken by the automated prison droid, it was Dipper, and Ford couldn't save him in time. Then Dipper gets taken to space and whatnot. And Dipper still has the rift with him...**

**2\. Dipper got zombified in Scary-Oke, which means they couldn't see the weakness of zombies, because _he _had the journal, and even if they did know the weakness, they wouldn't have enough people for the three-part harmony. (This story would be less dark than it sounds, probably.)**

**3\. Dipper never actually believed in the supernatural, so when he finds the journal, he just thinks it's a load of bologna, and he ignores it. He might not be able to deny it forever, though.**

**(All of these are pretty much centered round Dipper.)**

**I'll write all of these eventually, but this is just a matter of which one I write first. Please let me know which idea is your favorite, you guys. And I won't start writing the new one until I finish this one.**

**Oh, and Whinkx: I have night-vision goggles. So far, I can't see anyone... But I'm prepared.**

**Okay, now to the actual chapter!**

**I do not own _Gravity Falls_.**

_It's About What You'd Lose_

**_Mabel's P.o.V._**

**Location: Right outside of the Mystery Shack**

Mabel squirmed, trying to get out of the shapeshifter's grip. "H-help!" she managed to squeal.

Ford reached for his gun in his holster, but was stopped at the shapeshifter's next words.

"You do that and you won't have a great-niece anymore."

Ford immediately drew his hand away from the gun, but his face was frozen in horror. "You're... you're going to kill her anyways..."

The shapeshifter lifted a brow and grinned. "I _might_. But there's a higher chance I'd do it if you lift even _one _of your twelve fingers to stop me, you _freak_."

Ford grimaced, but he didn't say anything.

"You know," the shapeshifter drawled, "I'd be _more than happy _to make a deal... Because if you don't..."

He flexed his claws and turned to look at Mabel with those glowing, crimson eyes. He slowly moved his hand towards Mabel's throat.

"Stop!" Ford yelled. "Fine, what deal? Just... don't hurt her."

The shapeshifter moved his hand away from Mabel's throat, much to her relief. The shapeshifter then turned to Ford.

"Here's the deal... You've got to make a choice here... It's either her..." he gestured to Mabel. "Or it's him." He gestured to himself, and he was still in Dipper's form. Mabel was sure Ford got the picture.

The shapeshifter continued. "I could let your niece go... Or I could let your nephew go. It's your own choice..."

"What would you _gain _from that?" Ford exclaimed, his face red with anger.

"It's not about what _I'd gain_, it's about what _you'd lose_. And you'd lose either a niece, or a nephew."

The shapeshifter grinned, his red eyes flashing. "So who's going to die, eh Sixer?"

**_Dipper's P.o.V._**

**Location: The prison**

Dipper rattled the bars angrily. "You _have _to believe me! I've been _framed_!"

The officer scoffed. "Kid, we _saw _that it was you. I'm not an _idiot_."

"That's debatable," Dipper grumbled. He walked away from the bars and started pacing around, muttering and thinking to himself.

_How did this happen... This is all my fault... If only I hadn't been so stupid, if only I didn't step into the chamber, this _never _would've happened..._

He raised his fist to punch the wall. He barely felt the sting. It was like a vague memory of pain. He just didn't care anymore. All the anger that he hadn't let out, he couldn't hold in anymore.

He screamed. He didn't really know why. It's not like it helped at all. He just screamed until he had no more breath to do so. Until he slumped to the floor from exhaustion.

He was vaguely aware of a guard telling him to keep quiet. But at that point, he didn't care anymore. He just sat with his back against the wall and his chest rising and falling with his ragged breathing.

Dipper shivered. The wall was cold. It reminded him too much of being frozen for _two weeks_. He didn't want to be cold anymore, so he started walking again, pacing around in his cell.

Dipper realized his limbs were burning and aching. Probably from being stiff for so long and his recent struggle with the police officer. But that didn't stop him from pacing. He kept doing that until he _literally_ couldn't do it anymore. Until he collapsed onto the ground with a pained sigh.

_What can I do? What can I do? What. Can. I. Do!?_

_**Mabel's P.o.V.**_

**Location: Right outside of the Mystery Shack **

"So who's going to die, eh Sixer?"

Mabel took the opportunity to kick out with her legs. Her foot hit him squarely in the chest.

The shapeshifter let go of her, clutching his chest and hissing in pain with his eyes shut tightly. Mabel bolted, running to the safety of her friends. Now that Mabel was no longer in danger, Ford reached for his gun and aimed it at the shapeshifter.

The shapeshifter opened his eyes. They were now an orange-red that looked like they were blazing like fire.

Mabel rubbed her shoulders. They still hurt where the shapeshifter had sunk his claws into them. She watched as the shapeshifter straightened.

"Well... played..." he growled. "But I can't be stopped _that _easily."

His eyes still alight with flames, he began to change. Small silver spikes emerged from beneath his skin, and when he flashed them a crooked grin, they could see that his teeth were jagged and sharp.

It was that moment when Ford pulled the trigger on his gun. A blue beam erupted from the gun with a flash of light.

It had perfect aim. There was no time to avoid it. The beam hit the shapeshifter in the arm. It seared his skin, flesh burning and blood welling.

The shapeshifter didn't scream in pain. He didn't even make _any _sound that hinted that he even felt it.

He only laughed again. Then he locked his gaze onto Ford's. "Nice try, Sixer. But it's not good enough."

**That's all for this chapter. Please let me know which idea for a story is your favorite, though. It'd be a big help.**

**Well, cya next time! Though I think Whinkx is watching me from my closet.**

**Let me just... Close the door real quick.**

**Okay, all better.**


	10. Dorky

**I'll let you guys know which idea gets ****the most votes at the end of the last chapter of this story. This one isn't the last one, though, so hold your horses!**

**[Insert reference to the episode "Sock Opera"]**

**And also, I think Whinkx might be trying to sneak a ladder into my house. He's waiting in my closet... Like the invisible wizard that he is.**

**Grunkle Stan: "And _that's _why I own ten guns! Because if somebody _ever _tries to sneak a ladder in..."**

**This chapter will be a little longer than the others, because it's almost the end. (Not yet though! I have _at least _one more chapter after this to write!)**

**I do not own _Gravity Falls_.**

_Nobody Is As Dorky As You_

**_Mabel's P.o.V._**

**Location: Right outside of the Mystery Shack**

"Nice try, Sixer. But not good enough."

The hole in the shapeshifter's arm began to heal itself. Blood vessels stretched out and reconnected as the skin began to grow over the wound. The burn marks disappeared as if they had never been there in the first place.

And then he flashed forward, covering the distance between him and the group in milliseconds. He grabbed Mabel by her already bleeding shoulders and threw her several feet away so that she collided with the trunk of a tree.

Mabel let out a small groan of pain as she slid down the bark onto the grass. Her back and shoulders ached terribly.

The next moments were what Mabel would describe as a living nightmare. The shapeshifter was upon her in seconds, digging his claws into her shoulders even harder then he had before. She tried to throw him off of her, but the spikes he had grown through his skin prevented her from doing much for self-defense.

The rest of the group had taken out weapons, ready to come to her aid. But the shapeshifter had no intent on them intervening. Whenever one was close to hurting him, he'd simply growl, threatening that worse things would happen to Mabel if they interrupted.

So they held back, but their frustration and anxiety was clear on their faces.

The shapeshifter still had his claws embedded in her skin. Mabel shifted beneath his weight, but she couldn't get free.

After what felt like years of struggling and claws digging into her shoulders, the shapeshifter, in one swift movement, turned her onto her side. She shivered, not from cold, but from fear as the shapeshifter reared its head...

And sank his now blade-like teeth into her neck. Pain shot through her as she felt blood drip down her neck. The fact that the shapeshifter was still -apart from the claws, spikes, and fangs- in Dipper's form made it all the more terrifying.

Mabel couldn't take it anymore. Something inside of her snapped. She _wasn't _going to be beaten by this unearthly creature. She _wasn't _going to leave Dipper to deal with this whole mess by himself.

With a grunt of effort, she flipped herself onto her back, ignoring the pain that shot down her spine as the shapeshifter's teeth tore out of her skin, and she grasped the shapeshifter by his shoulders.

She didn't care at all when the spikes impaled her palms. She just pushed with all her strength, until the shapeshifter rolled off of her.

She shot up and made a sprint back towards her friends. Now that she was safe -again- they reached for their weapons.

Wendy pulled her axe from her belt. Ford pulled a gun from his holster. Mabel took out her grappling hook. Stan had a pair of brass knuckles, and Soos...

Well, Soos just took out a box of crackers. The shapeshifter's eyes glinted in momentary confusion, but it quickly vanished.

To everyone's surprise, the shapeshifter took a step back. He retracted his claws and spikes, and his fangs vanished. The red tint to his eyes vanished as well.

"Alright," he started, using Dipper's voice again. "I can tell when there's a battle that I cannot win. Even _I _must admit I can't defeat four peopl-"

"Four? What about me?" Soos asked. The shapeshifter's eyes flashed irritably.

"I'm not counting somebody who just brought crackers. Now, if you'd let me _finish_, I know I can't defeat all of you..."

His voice deepened, though it still held a trace of Dipper's voice. "You're all in a group... But I wonder... that little piece of crap you call family is alone right now. It would be so easy to just... _End him_?"

His mouth twisted into an evil smirk. Without waiting for a reply, he vanished in an instant. They could only hear the pounding of his footfalls as he dashed away.

"He's going after Dipper..." Ford mumbled in horror.

**_Dipper's P.o.V._**

**Location: The prison**

Dipper fidgeted angrily on the cold floor. He was growing restless. There was nothing he could do. _Nothing_. He couldn't know what was even happening back at the shack. He could only wonder.

It infuriated Dipper. He wasn't the type of person you'd file as "so angry that if you make them mad you have an erupting volcano to deal with". He wasn't like that at all. But now?

He let out an enraged sigh. Then he straightened as he heard panicked voices. It was the guards.

"What the...? But weren't you in your cell? What're you doing out here? Wait... stop moving... Don't come any closer... I'm warning you... Stay ba-"

His words were cut off as they faded into nothing. Dipper could hear the faint sound of gurgling. _His throat's been slitted..._

He heard more yells as the other two guards met the same fate. Then Dipper heard footsteps. They were slow and heavy, as if they were _trying _to make Dipper uneasy.

Then a figure came into view. It was _him_.

_No, not me_, Dipper told himself. _It's the shapeshifter..._

The shapeshifter unlocked the cell door with a key he probably stole from on of the guard's corpses and stalked in. He realized that the shapeshifter had something silver in his hands. It was rolled up and it flashed slightly in the dim lighting.

_Is that... duct tape?_

And then realization dawned on him. The only way he had been able to tell the difference between Wendy and the shapeshifter almost a year ago was because she had given him a sign. But if he couldn't give a sign himself, how would they tell the difference?

The shapeshifter tackled him to the ground. He held Dipper down with one hand on his neck while he held the roll of tape in the other. He tore off a strip of tape using his teeth and set the roll of tape down to grab the strip.

Dipper thrashed wildly as the shapeshifter attempted to tape his mouth shut. Dipper's struggles were useless, though. His cries of help were silenced as his mouth was sealed shut.

The shapeshifter held Dipper against the wall. The creature possessed strength that no human could ever attain, which prevented Dipper from escaping his grip.

Within moments of taping and Dipper's muffled screams, Dipper himself was restrained against the wall. Not because of the shapeshifter, but because he was taped too tightly to the wall. The shapeshifter had succeeded in restricting him to the wall, so that he _couldn't move._

The shapeshifter then proceeded to take out both a piece of cardboard and a marker. He scrawled some words into the piece:

**HOW ABOUT A GAME? IT'S A LITTLE GAME OF GUESS WHO! CAN YOU EVEN TELL WHO THE REAL ONE IS? I HOPE SO, BECAUSE YOU'LL HAVE TO SHOOT THE ONE YOU THINK IS A FRAUD! TRY TO AVOID THIS? THEN I'LL JUST KILL THE REAL DIPPER MYSELF! CHOOSE WISELY, YOU IDIOTS!**

He taped the sign to the wall once he was done writing on it.

The shapeshifter took a step back, admiring his handiwork for a moment, before he walked over to another portion of the wall. Suddenly, he changed form. Long silver strips stretched from out of his arms and wrapped around himself. Then they attached themselves to the wall.

Within moments, he looked exactly like Dipper. He had made himself a perfect copy of Dipper trapped in tape. There was no way to tell them apart, they both looked completely restrained and they both were immobilized.

He knew what was coming next, and he didn't like it. He knew that his friends would have to make the ultimate choice that could very well kill him.

They had to figure out, without signals, who was the _real _Dipper. He had to find a way to let them know that it was him.

**_Mabel's P.o.V._**

**Location: The prison**

Mabel stared in horror at three police officers who lay lifeless on the floor with blood flowing from a slit in their necks.

Mabel herself had her own injuries hastily bandaged, but they had all almost immediately went after the shapeshifter. His trail had led them, just as they feared, to the prison.

_Oh gosh, Dipper... _Please _be okay..._

She stepped around the bodies, watching as her friends and family did the same. Then they rushed down the hallway of cells until they reached the one Dipper was being kept in.

Without looking st the scene through the bars, she rushed into the cell. It's door had been wide open when she arrived, and now she knew why. The shapeshifter was already there, with Dipper.

There was just one problem.

She didn't know who was who. Both of them were restrained to the wall with quality duct tape, and both had their mouths sealed by the same tape. They both struggled to get free, and they both let out muffled cries for help.

She might've just ran over to them, torn the tape off their mouths, and demand for a sign, but a hand grabbed her before she could.

It was Ford. He didn't say a word, he just pointed to a sign on the wall.

**HOW ABOUT A GAME? IT'S A LITTLE GAME OF GUESS WHO! CAN YOU EVEN TELL WHO THE REAL ONE IS? I HOPE SO, BECAUSE YOU'LL HAVE TO SHOOT THE ONE YOU THINK IS A FRAUD! TRY TO AVOID THIS? THEN I'LL JUST KILL THE REAL DIPPER MYSELF! CHOOSE WISELY, YOU IDIOTS!**

Mabel felt her breath catch in her throat as she glanced from one Dipper to the other. How could she tell them apart?

Her mind was swirling. If they got this wrong, they'd be responsible for shooting Dipper in the head. It would be all their fault.

The others were speechless. There was silence that was only broken by the occasional muffled pleas from the Dippers.

Mabel knew they had to choose. So she looked at the first one's eyes. They seemed so innocent. Their was fear in their gaze, and a certain glimmer to them that seemed desperate for help, that was silently saying "help me"!

Ford, who had his gun in his hands, was aiming at the other Dipper, the one who didn't have that fear in his eyes. She agreed with his decision that the scared one must be the real Dipper.

But then she took a closer look at the other's eyes. They weren't wide open in desperate, silent cry for help. They were just... staring. Not in that creepy kind of way, but they seemed more... real. Like they were trying to tell her something. She realized that they showed slight unease at the situation, but the unsteadiness was masked by the way they sparkled, almost as if he _knew _that they would make the right choice.

It was in that moment, when Ford was about to pull the trigger on the Dipper with less-fearful eyes, that Mabel realized who was real. She knew she was right, she _knew _who her brother was, because she had seen the same look on her brother's face multiple times. 

Without a word, she pulled the gun from Ford's hands, ignoring the shock on his face, and she trained her aim not on the Dipper whose eyes hid their fear, but instead on the one who's eyes were too begging, too desperate. Too _fake_.

And she fired. The blue beam crackled in the air as it erupted from the gun. Everyone in the area flinched at the deafening sound that followed. When the smoke cleared, the Dipper with the pleading expression had a gaping hole in his chest that still burned with small embers.

And she knew she was right, because seconds later "Dipper" was laughing maniacally. His eyes blazed crimson. Then his laughs faded as he took in his final breath.

Mabel rushed over to the Dipper, the _real _Dipper who still hung from the wall. In seconds she had torn off all the tape and was wrapping her arms tightly around her twin.

"It's _really you_," she sobbed quietly. And all her pain was forgotten for a moment. The pain of her wounds, of her heart, and of her mind were forgotten, replaced by the comfort of knowing that she had her brother back.

"It _really is me_," he murmured back. "And I don't plan on being replaced by some shapeshifting villain anytime soon."

Mabel rubbed the tears from her eyes as amusement glittered in them and she smiled slightly. "Nobody could replace you. Because nobody is as dorky as you are."

Dipper scoffed. "Whatever. I think Ford might be beating me in that department."

"I can _hear you_, you know."

**Whew, hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one will probably be the ending chapter, but I might try to sneak in one more chapter, because I've had so much fun writing this. And _please _tell me your opinion for a new story, because I literally have no idea what to write first. If you've already voted: Thank you for that. You don't know how much it helps.**

**Also, if anyone is interested in reading it, I published a one-shot about Dipper getting a little freaked out at the sight of some nachos. Because we all remember the demon nacho... (I was bored, okay?)**

**Whatever, see you ****next time! (Sorry if the ending was a bit anticlimactic... *Nervous laughing*)**

**Grunkle Stan: "SOMEBODY GRAB A GUN, SOME MANIAC IS TRYING TO BRING A LADDER IN!"**


	11. Weapon

**Whinkx is plotting his evil plan in my closet... No sign of a ladder yet, though.**

**I couldn't help myself, so in this chapter, Soos's crackers get their chance to shine.**

**"WHERE'S THE IDIOT WHO BROUGHT A LADDER IN HERE!?" -Grunkle Stan.**

**Uh oh... Whinkx has attacked...**

**Everyone get a gun, there'll be more ladders where that one came from...**

**I do not own _Gravity Falls_.**

_The Weapon of the Future_

**_Dipper's P.o.V._**

**Location: The living room**

"Oh come on! It'll be fun, trust me!" Mabel exclaimed. Dipper was doubtful.

"I wouldn't think that running into the forest with no sense of direction is a good idea."

"Ohhh shush, we can find our way back, and it's not like we'll be gone for long, we need to get back in time for the new episode of Duck-Tective."

After a brief moment of hesitation, he shrugged. "Alright, fine. Are we going now?"

Mabel nodded and led the way to the front door and out. He was met by a light breeze. It was pleasant outside, he had to admit. As Mabel led the way into the forest, Dipper let his mind wander back to the last few days.

They had managed to convince the town that he had been framed by showing them the dead body of the shapeshifter, who had been in Dipper's form when he died. Though some were still nervous, jumpy, and sometimes frightened in his presence, they were beginning to warm up to him again.

Mabel's injuries also seemed to be healing nicely. She could still annoy Dipper from sunrise to sunset, which showed that she had no problem moving around, since she enjoyed playing to most complicated pranks; it was the only thing she'd actually plan out.

Even though Mabel was occasionally annoying, Dipper found that during the past few days, they had barely been apart. Maybe it was because they stayed together anyways before that whole mess. Maybe it was because the shapeshifter had neglected Mabel. Maybe it was because they didn't want to be separated again.

Whatever the reason, they stuck by each other's side.

"Hey bro-bro! You're lagging behind!"

Dipper chuckled softly and picked up his pace until he was walking at Mabel's side.

Suddenly, Mabel let out a squeal of excitement. She pointed with her finger at a something brown and fluffy curled up at the roots of a tree.

"Look, Dipping-Sauce! It's a rabbit!"

Dipper sighed. "Can you go _one day _without finding _another _animal to pet?"

Mabel shrugged. "I _could_, but where's the fun in _that_?"

Without any hesitation, she practically threw herself at the rabbit. It was still sleeping. She started stroking it. Dipper stifled a sigh of irritation. He didn't just want to stand in the forest while his sister pet a rabbit.

Dipper stiffened slightly at the sound of a twig snapping. He whipped around and gaped.

Standing there was Jeff the gnome. Behind him, there were a bunch of other gnomes. They blushed in embarrassment at being spotted, before Jeff called. "GET OUR QUEEN!"

The gnomes squealed in agreement. Mabel groaned. "We've been over this, I'm not your queen."

The gnomes didn't listen, they just charged forwards screeching. _Too bad we don't have a leaf-blower._

Dipper was readying himself to fight, but stopped when he saw Soos.

The handyman flung himself in the middle of the twins and the gnomes. He pulled out something from his pockets.

_Crackers._

Jeff gasped. "No! Anything but crackers! We're all on low-carb diets!"

Soos opened a package of the crackers. "Then get ready to break your promise to yourself, dude!"

He launched the crackers at the horde of gnomes. A few landed in the mouths of some of the gnomes, because they had been screeching.

"NO!" they screamed. "I wanted to keep my New Year's resolution!"

They all scrambled away, leaving Mabel and Dipper to stare, dumbfounded, at Soos. The handyman's eyes were bright as he turned to look at the twins.

"Told you dudes they're the weapon of the future."

Dipper leaned towards Mabel to whisper something in her ear. "I don't think we saw anybody with crackers when we went to the future."

Mabel shrugged. "Maybe Time-Baby ate them all."

"I don't think he has any teeth to do that."

**Moments later**

"Mabel," Dipper groaned. "Why are you taking the rabbit back to the shack?"

Mabel had the rabbit cradled in her arms as they walked back. The rabbit didn't seem to mind too much. "The rabbit likes me! He wants to stay with me!"

"I think he just wants a cracker from Soos," Dipper snorted. Mabel rolled her eyes. Then she glanced at Soos with interest sparking in her eyes.

"Hey Soos, how did you start believing that crackers are the ultimate weapon?"

"Experience, Mabel. Lots of experience."

"With crackers?"

"Yes."

Silence.

"Soos," Dipper said slowly. "I don't think I'll ever understand you."

Soos shrugged. "You can never really understand anyone. Or anything."

Dipper didn't respond. Soos was right. Dipper didn't really understand anyone, and he definitely didn't understand Gravity Falls.

But that's the beauty of Gravity Falls, Oregon. You can't understand it, but somehow, it understands you. It understands anyone ready to face the unknown.

_And I'm ready for whatever it throws at me next, _Dipper thought determinedly.

**Nooooooooooooooo! It's oooooveeeer! Dang it... Well, I guess it is time to count up the votes. (This isncludes my very few friends who told me their opinions in real life, sooo...)**

**Option number three, the one where Dipper doesn't believe in the supernatural, won.**

**The new story will be called out _I'm Not An Idiot_, so if you want to read that, look out for it. It's not out yet, so you'll have to keep checking the _Gravity Falls _section to see when it comes out.**

**"UNTIL THEN, I'LL BE WATCHING YOU! I'LL BE WATCHIIIINNNNG YOOOOUUUUU!"**

**Oh no... Get the laser gun from Ford, Cipher is back and he has a ladder too! He's teaming up with Whinkx!**

**Oh, the humanity!**

**(Oh, and Whinkx, I read your review to my one-shot "The Nachos". I think the people who don't know about the invisible wizard joke think you're crazy... Maybe you are, I don't know. You _are_ bringing a ladder in my house, so in wouldn't be surprised...)**


End file.
